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记者的观察
The realities of real estate/ I7 D( [7 v7 [$ H* q* Y
l9 a! m9 e% O1 ?7 C6 Y! U1 x8 wPublished: Friday, October 06, 2006 , b! X: P$ b, c
EDMONTON - With her toolbox in hand and overalls on, newcomer Lisa Laas feels she can conquer the plumbing world in Edmonton.
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& w' V) h7 I- m* ~3 AThe 29-year-old plumber from Vancouver had no problem finding work in Edmonton with trades people high in demand in Alberta.
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3 m" |8 t( t* uShe moved here in December with dreams of being a homeowner, something she could never afford in Vancouver despite four years of saving her money for a down payment.
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5 X( f: b! A3 s5 D% F% TBut she didn't expect Edmonton's world of hot housing where the law of successful buying seems to consist of three elements: speed, cash and no conditions., K0 d8 y4 T! A) r) |0 L+ Z
* l# A$ c2 {/ K% f# r& o8 K"It absolutely scared me," she says. "I moved here for a house, and all of a sudden a townhouse went from $105,000 to $155,000 and I'm going, 'Oh my gosh. I have to buy really quick.' I've seen it in Vancouver and now I'm starting to see it here and it's frustrating."0 a# R& U- I, b* Y% s+ @
K: w' l8 J: X$ i$ o$ jLaas started looking in February. She had hoped to buy a house for $160,000, but soon realized she had to change her plans. A townhouse would have to do.
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But she has lost out on four places since beginning her search for a house.
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4 X# u$ z* ~3 A4 }. OShe's been outbidded, "out-offered" and "outconditioned."
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One house, the one she really wanted in the northwest neighbourhood of Calder, went on the market at 4 p.m. and had multiple offers by 6 p.m. so Laas walked away. In two other instances, other buyers had fewer conditions on their bid to purchase a townhouse, so her offer was dismissed.
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9 d) W9 P. A9 I0 W" ELaas says she was in tears because of the experience. She has given up working with a real estate agent to look for a home. She says she's backed off the whole thing, but she keeps her eye open every now and then.1 t6 C2 A4 F* Z% ]* p+ W
8 s, K2 `7 Q' PForty-five-year-old Cheryl Daly is also having a tough time finding an affordable home for her 12-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.5 Y4 b. J9 l2 [6 d
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She left a 23-marriage and a 1,700-square-foot home last year. She works as an administrator and now rents a three-bedroom townhouse.# Q5 i1 R4 z9 i. p8 e
; t4 [2 \( U3 m* aBack in April, she started looking for a home, something in the $170,000 range. "I would like to have a half duplex even, but with the prices and with my status, I know that's not realistic," she says.
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# ^3 |. W: [ M$ a9 m0 M1 J& `5 ISo Daly has been checking out townhouses, but even that has been difficult for her.4 K* e& p. F5 y F! m9 \: ]( ?
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"The places, when they come up, if they're at a decent price, they're gone really quickly," she says, "so it's a matter of timing."
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Time has not been her friend. Every month the prices of homes in Edmonton climb higher.+ c. l4 s* F8 m1 ?- q
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An average single dwelling unit in Edmonton sold for $316, 480 in August this year. An average townhouse, which includes the price of duplexes, sold for $262,327 in the same month. Last year in August an average townhouse sold for $175,922.; @9 r/ d" S5 P3 G P2 P! A7 z
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The president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, Madeline Sarafinchan, says the hot market is tough for first-time homeowners and single people.6 z/ z% D7 o% ?1 I! L
/ L! E' y% h$ R1 ~6 |5 U"It's definitely making people think about what their options are," Sarafinchan says. "They're having to look at things that maybe are not as what they would have termed as desirable."$ A8 u t6 [% W3 b0 `" B1 Q) B
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That may mean sellers are not as open to "conditions" on offers as they used to be -- such as a house inspection before the deal is finalized. |
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